For the Price of a new Mac Mini…

My curiosity got the best of me this afternoon and I found myself wandering into the local AT&T store to check out the iPhone. The first thing I noticed was all the iPhone accessories they had a whole rotating rack full of goodies. I was waiting on the rep who was helping another customer and since I was in no hurry I took a quick look around the store to see if I could espy the object that got me there in the first place. I noticed that there was no demo model on the floor but being that this is the iPhone I thought the reps had stashed it in a secret place and can whip one out at any moment. No such luck. The rep informed me that they didn’t have a demo model and won’t be getting one until sometime next week. You see that was the main purpose of me going there in the first place to have a look at the demo and play with it a little before I even think of plopping down any hard earned dollars which I didn’t have to plop down anyway but I was determined to go check it out for myself and see what all the big to do is about. Anyway I asked the rep a few more questions and I was informed that if I was a go-phone customer that they would transfer my number and all that without charging any activation fee so all I would have to do is plop down money for the phone itself. So I walk in, pay $599 plus tax and take the device home (assuming they had one in stock) end of story. So that’s $599 plus 8% tax which come out to $646.92. Interesting that an entry level Intel Mac Mini costs the same if I ordered it from Apple and ~ $46 less if I order it locally with my Alumni discount. So for the price of a Mac Mini I can have a phone that connects to the internet and allows me to play video and audio… I still think that its a bit steep a price to pay and still plan on waiting until all the hype calms down and they release generation 2. BTW the iPhones were sold out yesterday and they got another shipment in that was sold out again by the time I got there today so that 2-4 weeks waiting time on the Apple store makes a lot of sense.

Checking Up on the AT&T Line

So today is i-Day or iPhone Day if you want to call it that. After work I went to check to see if there was a line at the nearest AT&T store. I drove all the way across town and swung around the little mall and noticed a line was starting to form. There was some blue tape on the side walk of the store indicating where the line should be formed and all looked quite orderly and quiet. I should have snapped a picture but forgot my camera. One thing that I noticed was that most of the folks standing in line were young and was wearing black at least the ones in the front of the line were wearing black. I decided to swing the car around and go home coz as it was just 5PM I wasn’t about to wait in line for an hour for a phone that I’m not prepared to purchase. Its not that I don’t want to eventually get an iPhone its just (1) I’m waiting on revision 2 when some of the initial bugs have been worked out and (2) It will cost me $ 600 for the phone (no point getting the 4GB model if the OS takes up 700+ MB), the cost of a 2-year contract plus $36 activation fee + tax. I can get get a Macbook Pro (which I need more) for the sticker shock. So… I looked at all the young folks waiting in line and swung my car around and moved on. Sucks to be a responsible grown-up sometimes huh! I didn’t check the other store to see what the line was like there. Tomorrow I’ll go to the store again to play around with one at least. Not buying just checking to see if I want to add it to my birthday list. I got my first iPod by having my friends chip in… Will see if this is what I want to do for next birthday or not.

MS Touchscreen laptop demo

I have to say that I’m quite intrigued about the products leaking out of Microsoft’s Live Labs of late. First I got a look at Surface that yet to be released $10,000 (not a typo) touch screen table computer aimed at the business market. Then I got a chance to see photosynth at the NYS geospatial summit now they are showing off a demo of a laptop with a multi-touch display. This was just a matter of time. Looking at all three products I can’t help but thinking that I’ve seen this stuff before. First off Surface looks a lot like a gigantic table iPhone (at least the interface). Even the way the album covers were shuffling around looked a lot like cover flow to me. The zooming being done both there and in the laptop demo also looked a lot like the iPhone zooming. Photosynth looks a lot like some of the stuff demoed in Core Animation and to some degree time machine. I know its different but that was what I thought about when I first saw it. I find it interesting also that Microsoft is releasing info on all these projects now before the iPhone releases. Its as if they said hey the iPhone is cool but look what we’ve been cooking up in our labs. I think the folks in Redmond is realizing that once the iPhone has been unleashed on the World there is no turning back… people will expect this type of interface on their computers too. I can definitely see Apple plowing right ahead and incorporating the same/similar multi-touch technology that’s in the iPhone now into their computer products. Perhaps the iPhone was just a test to see how the masses would react. New multi-touch laptop from Apple in the Fall perhaps? Hey maybe Microsoft will beat them to the punch

Microsoft’s Surface

Enamored with Microsoft’s upcoming surface computer? Then this video is for you. I was in stitches and thought that the video hit up some good points. If you have no clue what I’m talking about then check out the surface videos and info. The thing looks like a gigantic table iPhone to me but then again you can’t really pick it up and put it in your pocket can you? Great ideas but the targeted market are businesses not the average consumer like myself. Oh unless you have 10K to shell out for one. For those of you wanting to get your hands on some of this technology now do yourself a favor and line up at your local AT &T on June 29th.

Feelin Better

So my bout with tonsillitis is almost over at least the horse pills they gave me is almost over… 2.5 more doses to go. My stomach is a mess so I have to take great care in what I put in there and my mouth taste funny. All in all I think the infection is gone though but I’m still coughing at night and my tongue felt like I burned myself drinking tea. Maybe I did I can’t remember it just feels raw. As a result of all this I haven’t gotten much done at all. I tried installing the Dreamweaver CS3 trial on my Mac and that didn’t go so well. It installs fine on the PC at work but won’t for the life of it on my Mac at home. I’ve never had any trouble installing anything on my Mac before and other people are having trouble so there is something quirky with the installer. How odd is that imagine paying $199 for a program that won’t even install on your computer this is ridiculous… Anyway, I have to go find something sweat to take away the bland taste I have in my mouth again.

A whole new way to whine…

So I’m stuck at home today with tonsillitis this is the stuff that most people have when they are kids and the parents baby you and stuff you full of ice-cream. In my case I’m an adult, my parent lives in another state and I’m allergic to ice-cream. Anyway, yesterday while I was waiting for the doctor to see me I decided to listen to my favorite podcast- Morning Stories. The title of said podcast was a whole new way to whine about some folks from Finland, Germany and Russia who came up with a way to put their complaints to song… and I just thought that it fit my situation since generally when I’m sick I tend to do this. Below is a song that I came up with I suppose you can call it a song of whining. Enjoy! This generally goes to the same beat as the songs in the podcast except for the language of course. Enjoy if you are into these sorts of things.

Lying here again, Everything just hurts
Took some cough drops tasted terrible and didn’t seem to help
Took some tylenol, head still hurt though
Getting hot again, but I’m still very cold
Tried to call my friends, none of them called back
My those pills are large, have to take em for 10 days
My whole body aches, wish I could go for a walk
No work for me coz I’m contagious
When you are sick in this place they keep you locked away
People say they’ll help yet they don’t want to get near
Wish my Mom was here but she’s far away
Why does my neck hurt, I think my pillow is too soft
Had to drive myself to get some groceries today
What if I didn’t have any money what would I have done
The cashier said hi, she doesn’t know I’m sick
maybe she got a clue from all the medicines I bought
Hope she sprayed the place after I had left I tried not to breathe on her
But who knows what will happen
Headache still here cough is coming again
Getting really tired and I’m really hot
Back to the couch again, try to get some sleep
Slept so much in the last few days its driving
me insane
where are your friends when you need them
I suffer alone and in silence except
for the keyboard that is typing these words
I can’t go on… have to get more sleep
So tired must go back to sleep
Now my shoulders hurt what a mess I am
Its so beautiful outside yet I can’t go out
I’m stuck in this house again, that I do not like
Wish I could move but I can’t afford to
This doesn’t feel like home
Haven’t felt like that for a while
One day I will leave today is not that day
Shoulders hurt again must put my keyboard away
Must lay back again
Perhaps I’ll feel better after more rest…

Its May Already

I can’t believe its already May. April went by so fast. So its the first of the month and I’m at home coz I have some stomach bug that is keeping me close to the restroom. I tried eating a bit today and so far its Ok but I’m still a bit guarded. I don’t know what did me in but on top of it I have a bit of a headache. Its not as warm and sunny as it was yesterday either kind of a dreary colder day. I guess I should get up and put on some socks coz I’m starting to get cold… what a day. Yeah I’m getting really cold in this place. It is nice to see the flowers blooming and the green buds on the trees. Summer is coming!

My Imagini Personality

A friend of mine sent me this link Essentially when you open the website, you can start picking the picture that most appeals to you, and at the end you get a short personality description. I found it quite fun! Here is how my personality came out.

Read my VisualDNA™     Get your own VisualDNA™

Some Competition for the iPhone Already?

I was just checking out the skinny on the interface for the LG Prada Phone. It has the whole touch-screen thing going as the iPhone but seriously after taking a closer look at the interface, I was thinking where the heck are the colors? I was seeing a lot of black and white on it. I like the way that you can drag the clock around and the calendar interface is cool. However, the icons and are not as big and colorful as the iPhone’s, you can change themes and what not but seriously it just seems that things are more complicated to get to and seemed a bit cumbersome to use. It was almost like using my current cell phone except that I was touching the screen. In addition you don’t get to use the whole screen just a part of it. Some people are claiming that the phone is similar to the iPod but really the LG Prada phone looks like a first attempt at a knock-off. The icons just looked very retro video-gamish to me. Reminds me of the Pac man game to some degree. Nice try LG BTW what’s with the name? Won’t Prada be suing for trademark infringement on the name? I think of clothes, handbags and shoes when I think Prada not cell phones.

Garbage Duty

So it seems that one of the big headlines today is that Naomi Campbell showed up for community service today where she will be pushing a broom/mop around for the next five days. All this because she hit her maid in the back of the head with a cell phone over a pair of missing jeans. She’s also scheduled for 2 days of anger management classes. So why do I care? First off like me she has Jamaican roots second we happen to be the same age and have the same last name and lastly she seems to have a bit of “the ole Campbell temper” not unlike myself at times, I’m thinking she has a lot I have a bit. Unlike her though I haven’t thrown any object at anyone or hurt anyone with said objects. You really have to get me worked up pretty bad to get the temper going (BODILY HARM TO MY PERSON). A missing pair of jean wouldn’t bother me enough to want to hit someone with anything. I might get annoyed that I can’t find the jeans and seriously if I don’t trust my maid enough to not steal from me she just wouldn’t be working for me in the first place. In fact, If I did actually know that she stole them not only would I give her notice I would give her my other jeans and go get new ones. I do hope Miss Campbell has learned her lesson in the meantime I’ll be sure to watch “the ole Campbell temper” myself. I can’t imagine mopping the floor of a sanitation facility. Thanks to those who do this everyday.